BITE OF OCTOPUS IS SOMETIMES VENOMOUS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28606, 7 June 1958, Page 10

BITE OF OCTOPUS IS SOMETIMES VENOMOUS

[By

PETER COLLIS]

SYDNEY. Fishermen who handle live octopuses for use as bait run a risk of receiving dangerous bites.' It has now been established that bites from their parrot-like beaks are venomous enough to be fatal, though in many cases they may be no more severe than bee stings. Only two cases of octopus bite, one of them fatal, are known to have occurred in Australia, and only a few in other countries, but quite a number of fishermen — and other people who pick up small octopuses in rock pools—

may have received mild bites without knowing it. Although only two of the nearly 40 species of octopuses in Australian waters are known for certain to be venomous, scientists consider it probable that all are, including the brown octopus, so common in Sydney harbour. The fatal case, the only one in the world as far as is known, occurred at Darwin in 1954, when a young spear-fisherman was bitten on the back by a blue octopus only about 6in in diameter, including outstretched tentacles. His companion had thrown the octopus to him, and it had landed on his shoulder, crawled over his back, dropped into the water and swum away. Within a matter of minutes his mouth began to feel dry and he had difficulty in swallowing. Soon he became semiconscious and although placed m an iron lung in hospital, died less than two hours after being bitten. The bite on his back was nothing more than a small puncture. Dr. Donald F. McMichael, curator of molluscs at the Australian Museum, Sydney, says the fact that this man suffered from asthma may have made the yenom more dangerous to him. because it affected his respiratory system. In addition, he may have had an allergic reaction to i|. The octopus that caused this tragedy has not been positively identified, but it is thought to be one that occurs widely in north and north-east Australia, including north New South Wales. A Wollongong man was bitten on the hand, with very severe results, by an octopus only about four inches in. diameter which he picked up on the rocks for use as a bait.

Describing his symptoms to scientists, he said that his mouth and tongue felt as though they were freezing, his speech was thick, he couldn’t swallow, his eyesight began to fail, and objects seemed to move about.

His legs became paralysed, and he had to be carried into his house and spoon-fed. He slept soundly that night, and next morning the paralysis had gone, although he could not walk straight for the rest of the day His hand was swollen for the next four days. This octopus has been identified as one of the commonest on the rocky foreshores of New South Wales. It is brown, but becomes a spectacular bright blue and gold when touched. The few verified cases of octopus bite reported to Dr. McMichael from other countries range in severity from the typical sensation of a bee sting to dizziness, profuse bleeding, pain, itchiness and swelling lasting a month. Dr. McMichael says that the venom has not yet been identified, but it is believed to affect the brain and nerves. It is secreted in octopuses’ salivary glands, and its purpose is to kill the molluscs, crabs and fish on which they prey. [Associated Newspapers Feature Service.]